FOOD FRIDAY: PIZZA

Pizza is an incredibly wide food group. Not just due to the physical size of it; it comes in many forms, and although generally thought of as an Italian specialty, many countries have their own twist and take on it, that equally shouldn’t be missed.

Personally, I’ve been lucky enough to eat pizza in some of these amazing places / countries, the best so far being; Naples, New York and perhaps surprisingly, Croatia. I’ve even eaten pizza sat with my feet dangling over the edge of the Grand Canyon. Ok, the pizza itself wasn’t that great, but the location is yet to be beaten.

Now, out of the three choices above, picking my favourite is difficult; Naples is the birthplace of pizza and so generally sets the bar for a good pizza. They tend to have a really wide, fluffy crust and god, it’s good.

New York, albeit with a high percentage of Italian inhabitants, is a good opponent to Naples – John’s Pizzeria is a damn nice choice if you’re in the area. Though in all honesty, just going for wherever is busy is always a wise choice. You might want to steer clear of the crowds, but locals don’t lie. If anyone is going to know what’s good, it’s them.

Lastly, Croatia. It’s just across the sea from Italy and one of their most popular dishes. Definitely a worthy rival to Italy, in my humble opinion. Never mind the amazing quality and taste of their pizzas, the price is unbeatable. Some of the pizzas we had in Split and Zagreb were humungous, and cost roughly £4/5. For quality, price and taste overall, Croatia is my winner in the pizza category.

For a long time, Margerita pizza was my go to. Cheese and tomato – what more can you want?! I’ve grown my tastes as I’ve got older, and now anything with mozzarella and spinach on massively floats my boat. Each country has different specialty toppings, and it’s worth asking when you’re there, as per any dish the ingredients are likely to be the freshest and well practiced in preparation.